Furnace for melting metals



Nov. 30 1926.

J. C. GREENWAY FURNACE FOR MEVLTINJG METALS I Filed Julyl22 1925 Iii ATrQRNEYs Patented Nov. 30, m26.

uru'run- STATES PATENT. oFF1c E.

. JOHN C. GBEHENWAY, OF AJ'O, ARIZONA; ISABELLA GREENWAY ANI) LOUIS D. RICXETTS nxnourons `or' SAID JOHN C. GBEENWAY, DECEABED.

rUnNncn ron Mamme METALS.

Applieauon med my 22, 1925. serial No. 41394.

y My invention relates to furnaces for the melting of metals and the smelting `of copper, iron, silver, gold and other ores, and relates especially, though not wholly, to

open hearth furnaces in which there is a.

constanLdeteriorationof the side walls thereof.' Prior to my invention it was customary to vcharge furnaces of this character either l0 'through the roof or .through the side walls,

either of which structure of the rnace producing shorter life thereof, and also caused excessv dust losses containing values in that the line ore was dropped directly across the air currents fp'assin through the furnace and was partly carrie off in the waste ses.M f .In carrying out my invention I arrange bins contiguous and alon ide the furnace, in which bins are placed tige materials to be charged. These materials pass into the furnace by being fed into an oversize hearth (meaning a hearth which extends well beyond the side walls and roof of the furnace) outside the furnace side walls and thence underneath the p endant side walls thereof, either mechanica ly or otherwise to form a hearth or troughed furnace bottom consisting`- of the materials themselves. My pendant side walls stop short of the slag line and scorifying action at and below that point is avoided. My adjustable roof which4 may be either suspended or carried on supports outside of the furnace walls, .proper permits the raising or lowering of the furnace roof, thereby allowing niceties of adjustment of arch space above the ore bath which are productive of fuel and metallurgical savings, and also permits ready 5 Figure l vis a diagrammatic view partly'A 1n transverse section showingra furnace constructed in accordance kwitlifthe present 1nfor supporting the roof,

roceduresl weakened the access to .the furnace for repairs,inspection vention and 4illustrating one. forml of means Figure 2 1s a similar view illustrating another form of ,supporting means,

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view, partly in transverse section, illustrating a mechanical feeding or rabbling ldevice that may be employed,

Figure 4 is a view in longitudinal verticalsection on the line 4-4 of Fi e 3. Referring to the drawings it will e' seen that the invention inall of its embodii ments comprises an oversize hearth havin a bottom l and upwardl and outwar 1y inclined extensions l", furnace is designated generally at 2 and carries. pendant side walls 3 which terminate above the slag line of the furnace and e roof of the` of the hearth, as shown in the drawings.

The roof and side walls may be constructed of brick or any refractory material and are supported by means of I-beams 4'embodied in the structure of the roof and sup orted in any suitable way. In Fig. 1 the I- ams v 4 are shown as suspended on cable 5 trained over supporting guide sheaves 6 and having counterwei hts 7 lsecured thereto so as to maintain t e roof and side walls in any vertical adjustment.

In lieu of the cables 5, pulleys k6 and counterweights 7 the beams 4 ma be supported on` jacks 8, vas illustrated 1n Fig'. 2 or in any other manner.

Along the extensions 1b of the hearth of,

the furnace hoppers of bins 9 are arranged. The y hopers 9 contain the material 'with which t e furnace is to be charged and in their lower portions these hoppers 9 are formed with discharge openings 10 through which the material is fed by feeding rollers 11." The material after leaving the hoppers slides down the extensions lb of the hearth kand under the lower ends of the pendant side walls 3. The space between the lower ends of the side wa'lls 3 and the hearth is filled with the material used to charge the furnace, the material building up into a mass M which seals the s ace between the lower ends of the side wals of the hearth and which affords a protective bulk of charg` ing material between the molten mass and the adjacent portions of the hearth. It is to be noted that the side walls terminate above the slag line and as a consequenceof this arrangement deterioration of the side walls is absolutely precluded. Moreover, the material to be charged being fed underf nea'th the side walls and' laterally into the` Y in the charging material all of the finer particles or dust-containing values and of preventing these finer particles or dust from being entrained in the ai-r currents or products of combustion and of being carried out of the furnace and consequently lost. With this in mind it will now be understood that the feeding of the charging material underneath the side walls has dis# tinct and substantial advantages over the previous practice vof feeding this charging material through the roof or through the side walls.

If desired mechanical feeding and agivtating means may be provided for forcing the material down through the charging spaces S which are defined by the lower en( of the side walls and the underlying portions of the hearth. This mechanical feeding and rabbling means may take any conventionall or v'standard form. One form of such'means is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and comprises longitudinal bars 15 extending `longitudinally of the furnace at each side.

Each bar is mounted for rcciproca'tory movement by means of roller assemblies 16, the rollers of which engage tracks 17 carried by the I-beams 4. A plurality of tines 1S are provided for each bar 15, each tine'having its upper end fastened, as at 19, to its bar. The tines extend down into the mass of material being fed into the furnace and these tines are preferably twisted so that when they move back and forth they will exert a' thrust on the material and tend to force it into the furnace as well as break it u and keep it in a fluent condition lwhic will permit gravity to cause the material to flow into the furnace as it is needed. It is to be understood at this point, however, that the invention contemplates mechanical means for positively feeding the material into the furnace as well as a gravity feeding and in fact the twisting of the tines provides one means-for effecting such a positive feeding.

Means is provided for reciprocating the bars 12 and many comprise crank discs'20 locatedfin any suit-able manner andhaving crank pinsA 21 to which itmen 22 are connected, the pitmen 22 a so being pivotally connected to the bars 15, as indicated at 23.

I claim the following:

1. A furnace adapted for use in melting metals, ores and other materials and comprising an oversize hearth and a roof having pendant side walls, the lower endsA of the side walls overlying the hearth in spaced relation thereto and terminating above the slag line of the furnace, the lower ends of the side walls and the hearth defining between them charging spaces opening into the furnace below the side walls, and means for raising and lowering the side walls and roof and supporting the same in any vertical adjustment.

2. A furnace for use in melting metals, ores and other materials having a hearth provided with upwardly and outwardly extending extensions and a roof having pendant side walls overlying the extensions in spaced relation thereto, the hearth and the lower ends of the walls defining openings leading into the furnace underneath the side walls, means for supporting the roof and side walls, and vmeans for supplying material to be charged to the extensions of the hearth to permit the same to ow byy gravity through the charging openings and underneath the side walls so that the -material to be charged seals the openings between the side walls and the extensions of the hearth.

3. A furnace for use in melting metals, ores and other materials having a hearth provided with upwardly and outwardly extending extensions and a roof having pendant side walls overlying the extensions in spaced relation thereto, the hearth. and lower ends of the walls defining openings .leading into the furnace underneath the side walls, means for supporting the roof and side walls, means for supplying material to be char ed to the extensions of the hearth to permit `the same to flow by Gravity through the charging openings and underneath the side walls so that the material to be charged seals the openings between Illu lll?

the side walls and the extensions of the hearth, and means for causing the material to feed into the furnace through the charging openings.

4. furnace for use in melting metals, ores or other materials having a hearth provided with Vupwardly' and outwardly extending extensions and a roof having pendant side walls overlying the extensions in spaced relation thereto, the hearth and lower end walls defining openings leading into the furnace underneath the side walls,

. means for supporting the roof and side walls, means for supplying material to be charged to the extensions of the hearth to permit the same to flow by gravity through the charging openings and underneath the side walls so that the material to be charged seals the openings .between the side walls and the extensions of the hearth, means for causingl the material to feed into the furnace t rough the charging openings and comprising rakes at the sides of the furnace', means for reciprocating the rakes,

each rake having twisted tines extending down into the material and adapted to break up the material and force the material into the furnace as the rakes are reciprocated.

5. A furnace adapted fol" use in melting metals, ores and ot er materials and comprising a hearth, a roof, side walls extending downwardly from the roof and termi- -nating above and in spaced relation to the hearth, the lower ends of the side walls overlying the hearth and co-actin therewith to define charging `spaces o enmg into the furnace below and beneath) the side walls.

6. A furnace adapted for use in melting metals, ores and other materials and comprising an oversize hearth and a roof having downwardly extending side walls su ported thereon, the lower ends of the side walls overlying the hearth in spaced relation thereto and terminating above the slag line ofthe furnace, the lower endsl of the side walls and the underlyino' portions of the hearth dening between them charging spaces opening into the furnace below the side walls.

JOHN C. GREENWAY. 

